Living With The Avengers: The Thanksgiving Special!
by WayToDawn324
Summary: All Laynie and Carter wanted was to help, so why is Tony yelling now? How can they fix whatever they seem to have done wrong? Collab with Lartovio.


"We can just order take-out." Tony replied with a sigh.

"Why would you order take-out, for Thanksgiving? That's not a Thanksgiving meal, Tony." Carter fought her case.

"I don't cook, and Pepper's busy. And I'm pretty sure nobody else here really cooks either." Tony countered.

"I told you, Laynie and I would cook." She said in exasperation. "Honestly, how hard could it be?"

"You know what, fine. I don't care. But, I'll be laughing when it doesn't work out." Tony relented and turned to go to his lab.

Carter frowned. "You say that now." She grabbed Laynie, "Come on. We have food to make."

"Carter, I think you've forgotten one crucial thing..." Laynie said to her friend, as they went back upstairs. "Neither of us can cook more than a package of ramen noodles."

"Oh, it'll be fine. You worry too much."

"Okay then... what about stuff to make the food?" Laynie asked.

"Uhm," Carter did a quick look through of the pantry and fridge. "Looks like we need to go to the store." She walked out into the living room. "Bruce!"

Suddenly, Bruce came skidding into the living room. "Is everything alright?" He asked worriedly.

"Oh yeah, sorry. Laynie and I just need you to take us to to the store." Carter smiled.

"Sure, but why?" He asked, grabbing his keys.

"We're making food for tonight." Carter exclaimed happily.

"You two are going to make Thanksgiving dinner all by yourselves?" Bruce chuckled.

"According to Carter." Laynie replied. "Honestly, I think I would've been okay with take-out."

"That's not Thanksgiving dinner!" Carter flailed her arms around.

"Okay, okay. Geez..." Laynie held up her hands in surrender.

Carter grinned happily. "To Costco!"

Bruce shook his head. "Okay, but no climbing through the rafters this time."

Carter glared at him. "Never gonna let me live that one down, are you?"

"I don't think anyone, will ever let us live that down, Carter." Laynie giggled.

An hour later, the girls and Bruce had left and returned with everything the girls needed.

"Are you sure, you can do the turkey on your own?" Bruce asked in slight concern.

"Of course, don't worry." Carter waved him off.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be armed with the fire extinguisher just in case it gets out of hand." Laynie replied, brandishing a bright red fire extinguisher.

Carter frowned. "I hate you all."

Bruce sighed and left reluctantly.

"So... how do you cook the turkey?" Carter asked Laynie.

"I thought you knew!"

* * *

"Carter! The turkey lit the oven on fire!"

"I know! But, you're the one who has the fire extinguisher!"

"I don't know how to use this thing! I never thought you'd light the kitchen on fire."

This was all Tony heard before he was rushing to the kitchen.

When he arrived, JARVIS was shouting about calling the fire department, and Laynie and Carter were pulling at the fire extinguisher, both claiming they could figure it out.

Tony swiftly yanked the fire extinguisher away from them and put out the flaming turkey. "You are going to get yourselves killed!" he exclaimed. "I want everything that could be a fire hazard turned off!"

The girls, unused to Tony yelling, scampered around to meet his demand.

Pepper came barreling around the corner, eyes wide with worry. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed, putting the fire extinguisher on the island.

"The turkey is ruined," Laynie mumbled.

Pepper pulled them both into a hug. "It's okay, we can just order something in."

"But that's not thanksgiving!" Carter exclaimed.

"Well what is?" Tony demanded.

"It's... It's about the home cooked food and family," she answered slowly.

Laynie took it upon herself to elaborate. "Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what you have, and spending time with your family. Everyone pitches in to cool the dinner and-"

"That's what happens in the cheesy TV specials! Not real life! Nobody really celebrates thanksgiving like that. nobody cares about anything but food and Black Friday."

"That's not true!" Laynie cried.

Tony banged his hand on the table and shouted, "It was for my family!" He groaned, getting up and storming back down to his lab.

Pepper and the girls stood in the kitchen, shocked. Of all the parental figures in the household, Tony was always the least likely to raise his voice at the girls. Normally when you heard shouting with the names Laynie and Carter amidst the profanities, it was Natasha spouting angry Russian or Steve scolding them. It certainly never was Tony yelling.

Both girls retreated closer to Pepper, hugging her tighter.

"Pepper, what did we do wrong?" Carter was the first to break the silence.

Pepper ran a hand over Carter's hair. "You didn't do anything sweetheart, I think Tony's just in a bad mood. What do you know about his childhood?"

"He was rich," Laynie answered.

"Well, he was rich, but he wasn't always loved by his parents. Oh, that's not it. His parents loved him, but sometimes they were too busy for him. He spent a lot of holidays alone, and when they all did get together, it was stressful for him. His thanksgivings were so different from yours."

Carter looked at the door to Tony's lab sadly. "We should probably leave him alone for a while shouldn't we?"

Laynie huffed. "It's almost one in the afternoon. If we don't get something done, we're just adding to his list of disappointing Thanksgivings. We have to do something."

Carter sighed. "But what? Tony's not exactly going to help us cook. And that turkey is useless."

She frowned. "I have a plan."

Fifteen minutes later, Pepper was walking downstairs to Tony's lab with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Her role was the distraction.

Clint was racing through New York's crowded streets to the nearest grocery store. Laynie was finishing the sides. Deviled eggs, stuffing, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and broccoli casserole. Carter sat at the dining room table with a thousand take out menus spread in front of her, a notepad in her lap, and a phone tucked between her cheek and her shoulder. Natasha was using baking skills nobody was aware she had to make the desserts. Bruce was on dish duty, and Steve and Thor were in charge of making the house festive. In no less than two hours, everyone's tasks had been accomplished, and everything was ready.

The Avengers and their daughters stood around the table, admiring their handiwork.

"Now all that's left is to get Tony," Carter announced, pointedly looking at Laynie.

She made a face. "Me?"

"Your adoptive parent, your problem," Clint remarked with a chuckle.

She rolled her eyes and stomped down to his lab, where Pepper and him had downed half of the bottle of wine.

Pepper rose as soon as she entered the lab, heading upstairs with the wine. She gave her daughter a wink as she passed.

Laynie sat down slowly beside Tony, waiting for a reaction.

"Tony-" Laynie began, at the same time he tried to talk. "You first," she prompted.

"I apologize for yelling at you earlier. I understand you and Carter were only trying to help make the holiday special."

"I forgive you. I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry your family wasn't the greatest, but I think you're probably doing way better than your dad did."

Tony grinned and hugged her. "Thanks kid."

"Now come upstairs. It's dinner time."

The two returned upstairs and found everyone gathered already sitting at the table.

Carter looked up from her conversation with Bruce and smiled nervously at Tony. She stood up and hugged him tightly. "I'm really sorry for earlier. I promise I wasn't trying to blow up your kitchen."

Tony just laughed as he hugged her back. "What is all of this, you guys?"

The table was beautiful, set by Steve with a white tablecloth and a red piece running down the middle. There was a foam cornucopia in the center of the table, and food spread all around it. The food itself was a weird mix of Chinese take out, traditional Thanksgiving food, one extra large pizza, and a box of fried chicken. A large, very not-burnt turkey sat in the middle of it all.

"Thanksgiving dinner." Laynie said proudly.

"While Pepper was downstairs with you, we were busy doing this." Carter smiled.

"Don't worry. The kitchen is still intact. We didn't let the girls near the turkey this time." Clint smirked.

"And yet another thing we will never live down." Carter said, while making a face at Clint.

Everyone laughed.

"Thank you so much everyone." Tony took his seat at the head of the table, Pepper on one side and Laynie on the other. "This year I guess we all have a couple extra things to be thankful for."

"Huzzah!" Thor shouted, raising his coke can.

Everyone internally rolled their eyes, but shouted after him, "Huzzah!"


End file.
